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Isin (,ETCSL. Sumerian King List . Accessed 19 Dec 2010. modern Arabic language: إيشان بحريات Ishan al-Bahriyat) is an archaeological site in Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq which was the location of the Ancient Near East city of Isin, occupied from the late 4th millennium Uruk period up until at least the late 1st millennium BC Neo-Babylonian period. It lies about southeast of the modern city of Al Diwaniyah.
The tutelary deity of Isin, dating back to at least the Early Dynastic period, was the healing goddess Gula with a major temple (, E-gal-ma) sited there as well as smaller installations for the related gods of Ninisina and Ninlil.Tsouparopoulou, Christina, "The Healing Goddess, Her Dogs and Physicians in Late Third Millennium BC Mesopotamia", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 110, no. 1, pp. 14-24, 2020"Excavations in Iraq 1975", Iraq, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 69-70, 1976
By 1922 the site had been suggested as that of Isin.Langdon, S., "The Location of Isin", The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, no. 3, pp. 430–31, 1922 Ishan al-Bahriyat was visited by Stephen Herbert Langdon for a day to conduct a sounding, while he was excavating at Kish in 1924. He found inscribed bricks of Ishme-Dagan and Enlil-bani.Stephen Langdon, "Excavations at Kish I (1923–1924)", 1924 Two years later Raymond P. Dougherty, on behalf of the American Schools of Oriental Research, conducted a two-day survey of the site finding inscribed bricks of Bur-Suen and Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II.[2] Dougherty, Raymond P., "An Archæological Survey in Southern Babylonia I", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 23, pp. 15–28, 1926Dougherty, Raymond P., "An Archæological Survey in Southern Babylonia (Continued)", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 25, pp. 5–13, 1927Dougherty, Raymond P., "Searching for Ancient Remains in Lower ’Irâq: Report of an Archaeological Survey Made in Southern Babylonia during the First Quarter of 1926", The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research, vol. 7, pp. 1–93, 1925
Modern archaeological work at Isin was accomplished in 11 seasons between 1973 and 1989 by a team of German archaeologists led by Barthel Hrouda on behalf of the Munich Institute for Near Eastern Archaeology. Hundreds of cuneiform tablets from the Old Babylonian period, in buildings abandoned after being destroyed by fire, were recovered."Excavations in Iraq 1973-74", Iraq, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 57-58, 1975"Excavations in Iraq 1985-86", Iraq, vol. 49, pp. 239-240, 1987"Excavations in Iraq 1987-88", Iraq, vol. 51, pp. 256, 1989"Excavations in Iraq 1989–1990", Iraq, vol. 53, pp. 175-176, 1991 However, as was the case at many sites in Iraq, research was interrupted by the Gulf War (1990–1991) and the Iraq War (2003 to 2011). Since the end of excavations, extensive looting is reported to have resumed at the site. Even when the German team began their work, the site had already been heavily looted.Otto, A./B. Einwag, A. Al-Hussainy/J. Jawdat, Ch. Fink/H. Maaß, "Destruction and looting of archaeological sites between Fāra/Šuruppak and Išān Bahrīyāt/Isin. Damage assessment during the Fara regional survey project FARSUP", Sumer 64, pp. 35-48, 2018 A significant find, in the Ninurta shrine of the Gula temple, was an alabaster mace head of the Akkadian Empire ruler Manishtushu inscribed "Man-istusu, king of the world, dedicated (this mace) to the goddess Ninisina". An inscription of Takil-ilissu, ruler of Malgium was also found.[3] Douglas R. Frayne, "Akkad", The Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334–2113), University of Toronto Press, pp. 5-218, 1993 Early find included a Jemdet Nasr stamp seal and a small stone lion figurine of the Uruk period."Excavations in Iraq 1983-84", Iraq, vol. 47, pp. 221, 1985
The primary focus of the excavations was the four meter wide wall enclosed Gula temple complex. The complex showed construction through at least the Isin I, Kassite, and Neo-Babylonian periods with 3rd millennium BC finds suggested its earlier existence. Finds included 30 dog burials, copper pendants inscribed with dog images, and clay dog figurines, one with a prayer to Gula. An inscribed brick of Adad-apla-iddina, 8th ruler of the 2nd dynasty of Isin, dedicated to the healing goddess Ninisina was also found. On another section of the main mound 3rd millennium BC buildings provided "gold jewellery, bronze weapons, cylinder seals, and a few cuneiform tablets of which two date back to the Early Dynastic period", a clay nail of Isme-Dagan referring to construction of the bad-gal "Great Wall" city wall of Isin and an inscribed brick of Ur-du-kuga."Excavations in Iraq 1977-78", Iraq, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 150, 1979 In the Kassite layer an Early Dynastic III statue, 16.5 cm in height, of a kneeling man wearing only a triple belt."Excavations in Iraq 1972-73", Iraq, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 192, 1973 Just to the south of the temple complex two Early Dynastic I period buildings were found.Dunham, Sally, Review of "Isin-Išān-Baḥrīyāt, IV: Die Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen 1986–1989 by B. Hrouda", Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 116, no. 1, pp. 131–33, 1996
With the final decline of the Ur III empire at the end of the third millennium BC, a power vacuum was left that other city-states scrambled to fill. Ishbi-Erra, said to be an Amorite, from Mari, and an Ur III official under its final ruler Ibbi-Sin, gained rulership of Isin and began the First Dynasty of Isin. The Elamites had attacked Isin and Ur, capturing Ur.Michalowski, Piotr, "The Royal Letters in Their Historical Setting 3: Ur, Isin, Kazallu, and the Final Decades of the Ur III State (Letters 21–24)", The Correspondence of the Kings of Ur: An Epistolary History of an Ancient Mesopotamian Kingdom, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 170-215, 2011 One of Ishbi-Erra's acts was to expel the Elamites from Ur and the region, his year name being "Year (Iszbi-Irra the king) brought out of Ur, with his strong weapon, the Elamite who was dwelling in its midst".Vaughn E. Crawford, "An Ishbi-Irra Date Formula", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 13-19, 1948 Although the Sumerian King List gives a 33-year reign for Ishbi-Erra only one royal inscription has been found.
The Isin I dynasty lasted over two centuries. Its most powerful period was early on. With the rise of Larsa and a number of smaller Amorite city-states, the influence of Isin slowly declined. A notable ruler was Ishme-Dagan for whom a number of hymns were written, in a style thought to be imitative of Shulgi, the ruler of Ur III.Frayne, D. R, "New light on the reign of Išme-Dagan", ZA 88, pp. 6-44, 1998
The exact events surrounding Isin's disintegration as a kingdom are mostly unknown, but some evidence can be pieced together. Documents indicate that access to water sources presented a huge problem for Isin. Isin also endured an internal coup of a sort when Gungunum the royally appointed governor of Larsa and Lagash province, seized the city of Ur. Ur had been the main center of the Gulf trade; thus this move economically devastated Isin. Additionally, Gungunum's two successors Abisare and Sumuel ( and 1894 BC) both sought to cut Isin off from its canals by rerouting them into Larsa. At some point, Nippur was also lost. Isin would never recover. Around 1860 BC, an outsider named Enlil-bani seized the throne of Isin, ending the hereditary dynasty established by Ishbi-Erra over 150 years earlier.
Although politically and economically weak, Isin maintained its independence from Larsa for at least another forty years, ultimately succumbing to Larsa's ruler Rim-Sin I.
After the First Dynasty of Babylon rose to power in the early 2nd millennium and captured Larsa, much significant construction occurred at Isin. This ended with a destruction dated to around the 27th year of the reign of Samsu-iluna, son of Hammurabi, based on tablets found there.
Later, the Kassites who took over in Babylon after its sack in 1531 BC, resumed building at Isin. Activity was primarily at the Gula temple and it appears that in that period Isin was only a cult center. The final significant stage of activity occurred during the Second Dynasty of Isin at the end of the 2nd millennium, most notably by king Adad-apla-iddina. Isin remained occupied at least as late as the second decade of the reign of the Persian ruler Darius I (c 507 BC), then in the control of the region.Bloch, Yigal, "An Edomite in Isin", Individuals and Institutions in the Ancient Near East: A Tribute to Ran Zadok, edited by Uri Gabbay and Shai Gordin, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 229-241, 2021
Of the at least 256 ruler year names about 75% have been found. Most have the standard format, aside from Bur-Sin who numbered his years. These year names combined with new tablet joins show that there were two additional rulers, Sumu-abum and Ikūn-pī-Išta, slotting in between Erra-imittī and Enlil-bān. The reign of Sumu-abum lasted less than a year.de Boer, Rients, "Studies on the Old Babylonian Kings of Isin and Their Dynasties with an Updated List of Isin Year Names", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 111, no. 1, pp. 5-27, 2021[4]Sigrist, Marcel, "Isin year names", Andrews University Press, 1988
Ishbi-Erra continued many of the cultic practices that had flourished in the preceding Ur III period. He continued acting out the Hieros gamos ritual each year. During this ritual, the king played the part of the mortal Dumuzi, and he had sex with a priestess who represented the goddess of love and war, Inanna (also known as Ishtar). This was thought to strengthen the king's relationship to the gods, which would then bring stability and prosperity on the entire country.
The Isin kings continued also the practice of appointing their daughters official priestesses of the moon god of Ur.
The literature of the period also continued in the line of the Ur III traditions when the Isin dynasty was first begun. For example, the royal hymn, a genre started in the preceding millennium, was continued. Many royal hymns written for the Isin rulers mirrored the themes, structure, and language of the Ur ones. Sometimes the hymns were written in the first person of a king's voice; other times, they were pleas of ordinary citizens meant for the ears of a king (sometimes an already dead one).
It was during this period that the Sumerian King List attained its final form, though it used many much earlier sources. The very compilation of the List seems to lead up to the Isin Dynasty itself, which would give it much legitimacy in the minds of the people because the dynasty would then be linked to earlier (albeit sometimes legendary) kings.M. B. Rowton, "The Date of the Sumerian King List", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 156-162, 1960
| Ur III period () | ||||
| 1st | Ishbi-Erra 𒀭𒅖𒁉𒀴𒊏 | (MC) (Short chronology) (32 or 33 years) | ||
| Isin-Larsa period () | ||||
| 2nd | Shu-Ilishu 𒋗𒉌𒉌𒋗 | (MC) (SC) (10, 15, or 20 years) |
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| 3rd | Iddin-Dagan 𒀭𒄿𒁷𒀭𒁕𒃶 | (MC) (SC) (18, 21, or 25 years) |
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| 4th | Ishme-Dagan 𒀭𒅖𒈨𒀭𒁕𒃶 | (MC) (SC) (11, 18, 19, or 20 years) |
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| 5th | Lipit-Ishtar 𒇷𒁉𒀉𒁹𒁯 | (MC) (SC) (11 years) |
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| 6th | Ur-Ninurta 𒀭𒌨𒀭𒊩𒌆𒅁 | (MC) (SC) (28 years) |
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| 7th | Bur-Suen 𒀭𒁓𒀭𒂗𒍪 | (MC) (SC) (21 or 22 years) |
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| 8th | Lipit-Enlil 𒀭𒇷𒁉𒀉𒀭𒂗𒆤 | (MC) (SC) (5 years) |
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| 9th | Erra-imitti 𒀭𒀴𒊏𒄿𒈪𒋾 | (MC) (SC) (7 or 8 years) |
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| 10th | Ikūn-pî-Ištar | (MC) (SC) (6 months or 1 year) |
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| 11th | Enlil-bani 𒀭𒂗𒆤𒁀𒉌 | (MC) (SC) (24 years) |
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| 12th | Zambiya 𒀭𒍝𒄠𒁉𒅀 | (MC) (SC) (3 years) |
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| 13th | Iter-pisha 𒀭𒄿𒋼𒅕𒅗𒊭 | (MC) (SC) (3 or 4 years) |
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| 14th | Ur-du-kuga 𒀭𒌨𒇯𒆬𒂵 | (MC) (SC) (4 years) |
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| 15th | Suen-magir 𒀭𒂗𒍪𒈠𒄫 | (MC) (SC) (11 years) |
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| 16th | Damiq-ilishu 𒁕𒈪𒅅𒉌𒉌𒋗 | (MC) (SC) (23 years) |
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| Rim-Sîn I 𒀭𒊑𒅎𒀭𒂗𒍪 | (MC) |
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| Old Babylonian period () | ||||
| Hammurabi 𒄩𒄠𒈬𒊏𒁉 | (MC) |
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| Samsu-iluna 𒊓𒄠𒋢𒄿𒇻𒈾 | (MC) |
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| Iliman | (MC) (SC) (60 years) |
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| Ittili | (MC) (56 years) |
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| Unknown | (MC) |
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| Damqi-ilishu II 𒁕𒈪𒅅𒉌𒉌𒋗 | (MC) (26 years) |
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| Ishkibal | (MC) (15 years) |
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| Shushushi | (MC) (24 years) |
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| Gulkishar | Uncertain (MC) (55 years) |
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| Gishen | Uncertain (MC) |
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| Peshgaldaramesh | (MC) (50 years) |
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| Ayadaragalama 𒀀𒀀𒁰𒃴𒈠 | (MC) (28 years) |
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| Ekurul | (MC) (26 years) |
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| Melamma | (MC) (7 years) |
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| Eaga | (MC) (SC) (9 years) |
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| Middle Babylonian period () | ||||
| Agum III | (MC) |
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| Kadashman-Sah | (MC) | |||
| Karaindash | (MC) |
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| Kadashman-Harbe I | (MC) |
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| Kurigalzu I | (MC) |
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| Kadashman-Enlil I 𒅗𒁕𒀸𒈠𒀭𒀭𒂗𒆤 | (MC) (14 years) |
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| Burna-Buriash II 𒁓𒈾𒁍𒊑𒅀𒀸 | (MC) (27 years) |
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| Kara-hardash | (MC) |
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| Nazi-Bugash | (MC) | |||
| Kurigalzu II | (MC) (25 years) |
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| Nazi-Maruttash | (MC) (26 years) |
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| Kadashman-Turgu | (MC) (18 years) |
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| Kadashman-Enlil II | (MC) (9 years) |
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| Kudur-Enlil | (MC) (9 years) |
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| Shagarakti-Shuriash | (MC) (13 years) |
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| Kashtiliash IV | (MC) (8 years) |
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| Enlil-nadin-shumi | (MC) (1 year and 6 months) | |||
| Kadashman-Harbe II | (MC) (1 year and 6 months) | |||
| Adad-shuma-iddina | (MC) (6 years) | |||
| Adad-shuma-usur | (MC) (30 years) |
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| Meli-Shipak II | (MC) (15 years) |
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| Marduk-apla-iddina I | (MC) (13 years) |
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| Zababa-shuma-iddin | (MC) (1 year) | |||
| Enlil-nadin-ahi | (MC) (3 years) | |||
| Marduk-kabit-ahheshu | (18 years) |
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| Itti-Marduk-balatu | (MC) (6 years) |
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| Ninurta-nadin-shumi | (MC) (7 years) |
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| Nebuchadnezzar I | (MC) (22 years) |
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| Enlil-nadin-apli | (MC) (4 years) |
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| Marduk-nadin-ahhe | (MC) (18 years) |
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| Marduk-shapik-zeri | (MC) (13 years) |
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| Adad-apla-iddina | (MC) (24 years) |
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| Marduk-ahhe-eriba | (MC) (6 months) |
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| Marduk-zer-X | (MC) (12 years) | |||
| Nabu-shum-libur | (MC) (7 years) |
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